DALLAS – Dallas attorney Steven Wolens, a principal at McKool Smith, has earned a spot in Texas Monthly magazine’s “Best Legislators Hall of Fame,” a compilation of Texas’ top elected legislators during the past 38 years.
Mr. Wolens served as a respected member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1981 to 2005. He has been named to the “Ten Best Legislators” list on six separate occasions by Texas Monthly, which credits Mr. Wolens for passing “the best ethics bill in the history of the Texas Legislature” and describes him as an “unbeatable debater whose mind stores facts like a camel stores water.”
During his 12 terms in office, Mr. Wolens authored landmark legislation shaping business, education, ethics, law enforcement, regulatory, fiscal, and environmental issues. He was instrumental in the passage of the “Two Strikes and You’re Out” law for repeat sex offenders, as well as public safety laws, landmark ethics and election reforms, clean air legislation, and electric deregulation measures.
“The process of the legislature is the bedrock of our democracy,” Mr. Wolens told Texas Monthly. “[The process] allows for consistency and predictability, and with those you get stability.”
Mr. Wolens is now a commercial litigator at McKool Smith, one of the country’s leading law firms. Most recently, he served as lead counsel for more than 170 Texas cities in City of San Antonio, et al. v Hotels.com, et al., a complex class action that resulted in a verdict of nearly $20 million for his clients and recognition as one of the year’s largest Texas verdicts.
Prior to joining McKool Smith, Mr. Wolens was lauded for his legislative work by a number of prominent civic and professional organizations, including the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association, National Retail Federation, and Texas Municipal League, among others.
With more than 130 litigators working across offices in New York, Washington, D.C. and Texas, McKool Smith has established a reputation as one of America’s leading trial firms. The firm has been recognized by The National Law Journal and VerdictSearch for winning more Top 100 verdicts than any other U.S. law firm during the past three years. McKool Smith represents leading clients across a broad range of practice areas, including complex commercial litigation, intellectual property, bankruptcy, and white collar defense.